Friday, September 30, 2016

The Sweet Potato Project and Facing My Limitations

That line from the 1973 Clint Eastwood
film, Magnum Force, has new meaning
for me. Begrudgingly, I’ve come to the conclusion that my skills are not enough
to operate the Sweet Potato Project (SPP) effectively. I’ve given it my best
but my best has not been enough to take it where I feel it’s supposed to be. Funding
has decreased significantly; we barely made it through the 2016 summer program.
All this has me thinking about my limitations.

I co-founded SPP with the North Area Community Development Corporation (NACDC) in 2012. I can honestly say it's the most rewarding yet challenging effort of my long career.
We’ve come this far thanks to a few dedicated volunteers,
board members, limited nonprofit and corporate funding and generous people
who’ve donated or helped us raise money to keep chugging along. But I’m
almost 60 (groan) and can no longer wear all the hats of fund-raiser, urban farmer,
marketer, educator, driver, delivery man, etc., etc., like I did just a few years ago.

There is no doubt that SPP’s
basic but powerful mission is worthwhile. We teach youth how to be
entrepreneurs today, in their own neighborhoods. We give them a summer job
where they plant sweet potatoes on vacant or community lots. Students (ages
16-to-21) learn horticulture, marketing, branding, business skills, sales,
product development and more. After harvest, they turn their produce into
products. Right now, they’re selling sweet potato cookies on commission. I am
constantly inspired by the discipline, grit, tenacity and brilliance of the
low-income youth we serve.

I’m a writer and I’m more than
comfortable promoting and articulating SPP’s mission. I get all animated when
speaking about the vision of blocks and blocks of low-income urban farmers who
own vacant lots, youth and adults who grow, package and distribute produce and developing
our very own line of food products. I try to paint an electric picture of a sustainable,
food-based North St. Louis economic engine that supplies fresh food to schools,
public institutions, restaurants, grocers and consumers locally and even
nationally.

This crystal clear vision is my daily
motivation. My real friends know that, if I truly believe in something, I’ll
chomp down like a pit bull and refuse to let go until my vice-like grip is
weakened by reality. After all, I stubbornly held on to my struggling but
award-winning publication, Take Five
Magazine, for 15 years even though it never made money. I did so because I believed
in its mission to inform, enlighten and serve as a source of needed change in
our community.

After five years, I’m in no way ready to
give up on the Sweet Potato Project. I
am however, ready to reconcile that I have limitations and need to rectify the
situation. There are people out there-some I know and many, many I don’t-who share
my passion and possess the skills and qualifications we need. You know who you
are. If you’ve been feeling me but have been hesitant to reach out, now is the
time. I’ve got about six months to turn this puppy around.

If you’re willing to bring your talents
to our table, what follows are the specific areas of development where your gifts
will be put to good use:

FUNDRAISING

I am the primary fund-raiser for our
project. With the help of one of our board members, we do it but I don’t
consider us really good at it. There’s
an art to writing grants, getting corporate sponsorship, planning fundraisers
and closing the deal. I need more than well-intentioned people; I need folks
who’ve done it before; who have professional marketing and promotional skills,
who confidently know how to navigate gatekeepers, reach decision-makers,
raise awareness and the necessary funds to help a promising, grassroots nonprofit soar.

VOLUNTEERS & VOLUNTEER COORDINATORS

My eldest daughter calls me a “control
freak.” I don’t try to be, it’s just that I’m not comfortable asking unpaid people
to do too much. We need qualified and motivated volunteers but we also need people
who are good with volunteers; who understand the vision and can delegate and
follow up on assigned tasks.

PRODUCT
DEVELOPMENT/DISTRIBUTION

SPP has the opportunity to develop its
own revenue source through making, selling and distributing products made from
the food we grow. Through our partnership with St. Louis University’s
Department of Nutrition & Dietetics, our students currently bake and sell delicious
sweet potato cookies. We have consumers ready to buy and vendors (restaurants, coffee
shops, gas stations, etc.) who have expressed interest in carrying our cookies.
I’ve been hesitant to commit until I’m sure we can deliver consistent quantities
of professionally baked and packaged products. I’m hoping that a major food manufacturer
will adopt this vision and/or skilled individuals will commit to teaching our
budding entrepreneurs how to package, sell, meet consumer demand and distribute
current and new products in a professional and timely manner.

SWEET
POTATO FARMS

Part of our overall mission is to
develop a sustainable economic engine in North St. Louis. We not only want to
train young entrepreneurs, we want to help stimulate nurturing environments
where youth and adults can capitalize off the burgeoning locally-grown food
movement. We received a small grant to create a collective of urban farmers who
will grow food, make food products at SLU and bring their goods to market. We need
political, civic and corporate support to assist us as we attempt to help low-income
residents gain access to some of the 8,000 vacant lots in the city of St. Louis
alone. I would also like to have professional marketers help us promote and
gain support for this grand vision. The major goals are to develop massive,
inner-city food growth, make Sweet Potato Farms a recognized brand (i.e. Glory
Foods) that helps people earn money and consumers know that their purchases will
empower disadvantaged individuals and neighborhoods in North St. Louis. We’re hoping
a major food manufacturer or people with the needed expertise will adopt this
vision and partner with us to make it a sustainable and replicable success.

******************************************************

So there you have it; our vision, our challenges
and our needs. The mission is powerful but I and our small group of fervent supporters
can only do so much. I will be touching base with certain talented individuals
I know, those who have written expressing an interest in getting involved and those who respond to this missive. For the next six months, we will meet, discuss,
prepare, restructure and put things in motion before we start recruiting youth
for planting in late May and the 2017 summer program.

There are good people in my life that
have cautioned me not to write about the challenges involved with this
endeavor. "People only want to hear the positive" or "someone with more resources
may steal the idea," they say. I understand that but it’s not my way. I’m human
and I do indeed have limitations. Basically, I’m a writer and most of the
blessings in my life have come from publicly articulating what is and what
needs to be. Besides, I write because I’m jazzed by the potential of our disregarded
youth and the possibilities of creating a grassroots template for real
sustainable change in low-income communities.

If you feel me, then join me. With your donations
of money, time and expertise, all things I’ve laid out and more are extremely possible.

********************************

Click arrow to see the 2014 Ted Talk video "Bringing Community back to Communities."

Sylvester, you are the trailblazer for involving youth in sustainable entrepreneurship opportunities. Kudos to you and all that support. I certainly hope that Community can further embrace your dream AQAP to perpetuate and enhance such opportunity for our youth.

A familiar pattern in grassroots initiatives: Your formidable skills in promotion & mentorship have launched a good idea and the commitments of young people in a series of demo projects, requiring much attention & problem-solving in this formative stage. Seemingly SPP was conceived and organized on a 'social services' model to generate start-up support... now it reaches a point beyond seed funding where there is too much to micro-manage. True?

Part of "sustainability" is about making such projects self-sustaining: The natural upshot of entreprenurial training is to foster enterprises - so maybe the paradigm shift can draw from the 'business incubator' model, spinning off niche-market ventures with tech & faciities support, etc. Will gladly explore all this with you, thinking toward a 'Phase II' strategic plan. Note also that we have founded the "Sweet Ann Neighborhood Land Trust", which might be able to play a future role.

Thank you Scottie. I've think you've accurately described SPP's current situation. I'd love to have coffee or lunch to discuss your ideas and perspective. I can be reached by email at sylvesterbj@gmail.com. Please contact me, we'll do the calendar thing and, hopefully, get a chance to sit down and talk in depth. Until then...be well.-Sincerely, Sylvester

Thank you for your kind words, Charles Bryson. A big part of my personal challenge is connecting and working with local politicians. You have loads of experience and expertise. I'd love to meet up and compare notes with you. Let me know if you're interested. Thanks, Sylvester

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About Me

Born and raised in St. Louis. In 1987 started Take Five Magazine, a pro-active, community-based, investigative publication. Operated for 15 years. Hired as Metro columnist with the St. Louis Post Dispatch in 2002. Brought Bill Cosby to town, debated Bill O'Reilly and wrote a column that saved a baby's life. After leaving the Post-Dispatch in 2009, started working with SmileyBooks as a consultant and writing contributor. Founded When We Dream Together, a nonprofit dedicated to revitalizing urban communities in 2011. In 2012, began "The Sweet Potato Project," a summer program aimed at teaching "at-risk" youth entrepreneurial skills. Students planted sweet potatoes that they turned into a viable, marketable product-a sweet potato cookie. Currently running both nonprofits, working as a freelance writer and consultant and about to enter the self-publishing arena.

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Commentary on this blog represents my views and opinions only. All items are subjective, except where specified and/or stated otherwise. Videos, clips, quotes, statements, etc., are included for emphasis, clarification, verification or as follow-up sources for particular subjects and issues. Usage of this material does not imply, express or emphasis any other views other than what is implied in the blog posting. There is no connection between this site and any other site, organization, company or publication of a similar name or previous association. -- Sylvester Brown.